


Pursuit of Flame

by Sanctified_Jasper



Series: Winx Alt Con [1]
Category: Winx Club
Genre: Alternative Winx Club Continuity, Canon Rewrite, Season 1, Winx Alt Con, Writing Style: Summary Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-20 15:56:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17025645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanctified_Jasper/pseuds/Sanctified_Jasper
Summary: Expecting a boring summer vacation stuck in her hometown, Bloom goes the local park for lunch. There she meets Stella, and her world changes.Together the pair make their way to Alfea, where they meet Flora, Tecna, and Musa, and find themselves embroiled in a plot that may be older than they realise, with the entire Magical Dimension at stake.





	1. Week 00

**Author's Note:**

> An alternative take on the Winx Club storyline, written in summary format.  
> It takes the plot elements and characters from the original, and tweaks it into a subtly different story.  
> Occasionally skims the edges of dark and gritty, with a hint of realism sneaking its way in.
> 
> This universe operates on an Altered Timeline from the canon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episodes covered 101-103

**Previously in the Time line** : A lot of stuff happened over several hundred years.

 

* * *

**Now in the Timeline:  
**

During her first few days of summer vacation Bloom (thanks to her rabbit Kiko) stumbles across a magical battle in the middle of the heavily wooded area of her local park. Feeling an inexplicable bond with the fairy ('she has to be a fairy ohmygod!') Bloom decides to lend aid. Picking up a nearby branch, she shows the strange ghouls exactly why an artist like herself was the best batswoman on her school's local baseball team.

 

With the unexpected aid turning the tide of the battle, Stella manages to get her second wind and take out a significant chunk of the enemy forces while they're distracted by the unknown fairy. (because this strange ginger girl had to be a fairy, her magical energy was way to _Light_ to be anything else.)

 

After the fairies have dealt enough damage to the Ogre and his crew, the attackers turn tail and run, teleporting out. Stella stays put and draws energy directly from the sunlight to replenish herself. After introducing herself to Bloom, and explaining what had happened with the ogre hijacking her Magical Teleport, Stella asks if Bloom can show her local star charts. If Stella wants to get back to familiar ground, she needs to know where she is first, and the name Earth isn't exactly ringing any bells.

 

Stella changes into her street clothes and Bloom takes her home, the pair discuss the fact that Bloom is clearly a fairy on a planet that has no other apparent magic, or knowledge of the greater known universe. (They come to the conclusion that Bloom's long dormant magic reacted to Stella's own magical abilities, which is why they've never manifested before in stressful situations.)

 

(Stella may or may not ride on the handlebars of Bloom's new bike.)

 

* * *

 

After convincing Bloom's parents that magic is real, Mike tells the girls about the night he found Bloom, and that he convinced himself he'd been imagining things like the energy shield protecting Bloom from the flames. (Bloom has always known she was adopted and that her (adoptive) parents love her.) Realising she might not be from Earth, Stella offers to take Bloom with her to Alfea, to see if Headmistress Faragonda could find out anything about a missing 15 year old fairy. (or at least get Bloom trained now that her powers are awake.)

 

Reluctantly Mike and Vanessa agree and the four look up star charts.

 

Stella has a mild freak out when she realises she's on *Albion ~~/Gaia/Ancient Magical Name For Earth~~ * which was annexed from the Magical Dimension several centuries prior after the (assumed) eradication of the Earth Fairies.

 

If the Ogre and his minions had been victorious, Stella may have been stuck, and most likely, no one would have ever thought to look for her on Earth, meaning she'd be lost forever as far as her family and her people were concerned.

 

* * *

 

 Back at Cloud Tower The Trix are pissed at Knut's failure and send a Hunting Troll to nab Stella.

 

* * *

 

Freak-out over with, Stella manages to calculate a route back to Magix, compensating for Bloom's additional mass, she's already adjusted her phone to compensate for her location (in the middle of cosmic nowhere). When Bloom (and her family) express awe over Stella's calculations, Stella plays it down, plays it off and quickly changes the topic to Earth Fashion.

 

While the quartet enjoy the Earth delicacy known as pizza, the front door is torn down as the Hunting Troll arrives. Knowing she's no match for the Troll, and that there are innocents in immediate danger, Stella calls for help on the emergency line.

 

It takes only a few minutes for help to arrive, during which Bloom manages to display amazing progress with her power control to protect her parents and help Stella fight back. (Mike and Vanessa do what they can with an axe and a broken broom, even Kiko gets in on the action, using his impressive teeth to leave marks on any ghoul getting too close to Bloom.)

 

With the help of the second year Red Fountain students Stella vaguely recognises from school functions, the Troll is subdued. (Stella and 'the cute brunette' immediately start making eyes at each other.)

 

The Specialists introduce themselves to the girls while they're there, wondering what kind of 'Fairy assignment' the duo must be on 'way out here,' to which Stella plays coy, 'wouldn't you like to know' and thanks the boys for their help before sending them, with the Troll, on their way.

 

Stella sticks around to help clean up, and get in contact with Faragonda about the attack during her trip and concerning Bloom.

 

Since Stella's friend, Princess Varanda of Callisto has decided to drop out of Alfea for home schooling, her spot on the roster is open and paid for, Stella was heading to Alfea a few days before normal intake to help Faragonda select a scholarship replacement on Varanda's behalf. Stella suggests Bloom. Curious about the young fairy, and aware the girl will need training in her new powers, Faragonda agrees.

 

* * *

 

Determined to see the 'alien' school where Bloom will be learning, Mike and Vanessa talk Stella into transporting them to Magix as well. There is no anti-muggle barrier around the school, because almost everyone in the Magical Dimension has at least a little bit of magic, so an anti-muggle barrier makes no sense. The school is warded against those with bad intentions towards the school. Unfortunately the barrier can't keep out the Witches of Cloud Tower, who pride themselves on learning to get through it. (the fastest were the Trix, who succeeded in the second month of their first year.)

 

Mike and Vanessa get to see Alfea and talk with Faragonda and several of the teachers, all of them stumped as to where Bloom came from. Leaving with a phone capable of communicating between realms, Mike and Vanessa say goodbye to Bloom and head home.

 

Bloom gets the Stella-Tour, which includes a lab she accidentally blew up the year before ('I was trying to invent a new shade of pink!') which resulted in her expulsion, and meant that, after her father persuaded Faragonda to allow Stella back, Stella has to repeat her first year.

 

* * *

 

The rest of their dorm mates start arriving, Bloom explaining she knows very little about the magical world, and apologising ahead of time for when (not if) she gets something wrong and insults someone.

 

The five girls decide to head out to Magix (the city) to get some food and get to know each other, teaching Bloom a bit about their home worlds while they're at it. While on the bus to Magix, Tecna brings up the issue of currency, and Bloom not having any of the local. Stella waves her off saying she's got it covered, and that Bloom should consider Stella to be her Fairy God-Mother.

 

Bloom expresses her discomfort with the idea and proposes getting a job so she can pay Stella back.

 

Flora points out that with Bloom knowing so little about magic, she's not going to have time to catch up if she picks up an after school job.

 

Musa suggests she take the offer, let Stella treat her every now and then, and pay Stella back after they graduate and Bloom has a 'Fairy Job'.

 

The group tangents into a brief over view of the various things Fairies do throughout the universe, and who pays for them. (Fairy Culture World Building!)

 

Then the conversation gets back to 'more important things,' like the welcome back party in two days, which the Red Fountain boys will be attending, and Bloom's dress.

 

Since it's getting late in the day, the group agrees to return to Magix the following day to look at dresses.

 

(Classes start the day after the Welcome Back Party, the Intake is a period of several days for new and old students to arrive and familiarise themselves with the campus, and get caught up before classes start, so they don't spend the first few classes trying to swap summer-break gossip. It also serves for school clubs to do their 'come join us' pitches, or get set up for the year.)

 

The five girls spend the day exploring all of the dress stores in Magix, Bloom getting increasingly upset by the price of the nice dresses, and the 'bleh' of the affordable dresses. (still uncomfortable with the idea of Stella being her 'sugar-mama', Bloom puts her foot down on how much Stella can spend on the dress.)

 

Musa jokingly mentions Stella's personal wardrobe probably having more dresses than most of the stores, and the price tag attached (referring to Stella not understanding how much she's actually offering to spend from a 'normal person' point of view.)

 

Stella hits back with 'well yeah, but it's not like I can wear any of them more than once a year, trust me, I've made _that_ mistake before, social media roasted me, so hard!' and then it hits her: 'But Bloom could totally borrow form my wardrobe, I have plenty of colours and styles, and no one has to pay for anything, so she can't object!'

 

Steamrolling the conversation, Stella calls home to have her dresses taken out of storage – yes, _all_ of them – and ready for viewing. The sheer number means the clothes won't be ready until early the next morning, so the girls grab smoothies and head back to the school, letting Faragonda and Griselda know Bloom and Stella will be off world the following day.

 

And it does take _all day_ , (Bloom is introduced to King Radius, and her situation explained, Radius is proud of his daughter's altruism and welcomes Bloom to the Magical Dimension) Stella and Bloom actually end up cannibalising a few dresses to make an original for Bloom's debut, (it's fine, they were like, four years old anyway,) and so are late returning to the school, the party having already started by the time they arrive.

 

But while late to the party, they're just in time to see the Trix infiltrate the school. ('It's a thing, we throw a party, they try to wreck it, but we'll stop them.') Stella recognises the Trix as Senior Witches (it takes a while for witches to form Manifestations like the Trix) and Bloom advises caution, reluctantly, Stella agrees, and the duo listen in on the conversation. ('its not here? It has to be here!/ Clearly you did the spell _wrong_ then!/well maybe you should have cast it, oh wait, you can't!/Both of you shut up! Even if we didn't get what we came for, we can still wreak some havoc, we'll just have to come back with a better locator spell, but for now, it's time to replace whatever gross sparkly crap is in these eggs with snake-rats.')

 

Knowing she can't undo a dark spell cast by seniors, even with the Ring of Solaria, Stella and Bloom head to the party to tell a teacher before the gifts are delivered. The duo run into their dorm mates before they find a teacher, and when they spot the chest of eggs a second later, they have no choice but to explain the eggs are cursed.

 

Flora leads the girls in a cleansing spell. Faragonda notices the magic and heads over to the girls, arriving just as butterflies burst forth from the egg-gifts.

 

('Yes! We did it!/And what is it you girls have done/-explanation-/Really? Well I am impressed, that was very well done girls, I'm proud of you all/Well, I didn't really do much.../the heck you didn't Bloom, I felt your magic in that spell/Really?/Yeah, really, now: Group Hug! You too Ms. F')

 

They girls mingle and dance with each other and the boys. Stella and Sky (the cute brunette from the rescue team) continue to make eyes at one another, and spend a lot of time dancing together.

 

Bloom dances with the blonde squire Brandon a few times as well.


	2. Week 01

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode 104

The first week of classes goes... it goes.

 

Bloom struggles with the practical portions of the classes, the rest of her dorm mates helping where they can as Bloom tries to get in touch with her magical powers.

 

On the second last day of the week, one of the second years students tells Stella to 'enjoy her mud facial tomorrow,' to which Stella responds she's 'not the one who needs it.' Despite the words, the exchange is very friendly and teasing, the princess explains the older student was her dorm mate from the year before, and was now a second year student.

 

And when she said 'mud facial,' she meant the Black Mud Swamp exercise they'd be performing tomorrow, a time trial through the infamous Black Mud Swamp using only the 'Voice of Nature' to guide them. (and the honour code to not use their magic.)

 

The following day (with their hair up to minimise the 'ick' contamination) the girls apply Flora's all natural insect repellent and sun screen, and Tecna debates with Palladium on whether or not she can keep her tech. (Palladium agrees on the condition the girls don't use it to navigate.)

 

The teams are as many or as few members as the girls want, so the five of them decide to stick together. Flora talks to the girls about 'hearing the voice of the forest,' while Palladium assigns the various groups starting points. Musa does the best, with Stella and Bloom getting a sense of 'strong intuition' but no real sense of 'the true voice,' while Tecna struggles with the task.

 

As they make their way through the Swamp ('Medusal gas? Oh my god this place is crazy! How are we doing this without signing waivers?') The group gets to know a little bit more about each other, and try to find a way to help Tecna connect with the Voice of Nature.

 

Their trip is disrupted when a loud explosion sounds overhead, and a ship (trailing a large cloud of thick, black smoke) plummets towards the ground. The girls decide to head over and check it out. ('it's our duty as Fairies to lend aid'). They aren't the only ones, the entire class shows up to check out the crash.

 

The ship belongs to the specialists from Red Fountain, specifically the rescue team who came to Stella and Bloom's aid on Earth. While the rest of the class is happy to leave the specialists to their task, Bloom and Stella want to pay the boys back for their help, Flora, Musa and Tecna agree to lend their support as well.

 

Especially when the specialists reveal the Hunting Troll from the Earth indecent _had_ been in their hold prior to the crash. (the two groups find it highly suspicious, while Bloom wants to know why the boys are only _now_ transferring the troll to a 'secure location'. (The boys were  ~~failing~~ practising their interrogation methods.))  The girls stay with Tecna, who uses her tech to inspect/scan the shipwreck ('I'm not using it for navigation/ is that a-/ Timmy! Stop drooling over the tech, we need to go!') while the boys head after the Troll,or in the general direction its foot prints lead before vanishing. (the directional decision is backed by the voice of nature.)

 

Shortly after Tecna finishes her scans (of both the ship and the strange disappearing footprints) and begins going through her results, Musa, who's been listening for any trouble coming their way, startles, explaining that she's heard the boys getting into trouble. Tecna acknowledges they have everything they can get from the ship, and they go after the boys.

 

The girls follow Musa and Flora to find the boys tangled in vines, struggling to break free. Flora explains the plants in question hate noise, even loud movements, Bloom clamps her hand over Stella's mouth before the blonde can 'test that theory,' and Flora talks the boys through relaxing. Riven struggles the most.

 

They continue to seek out the Troll. (they do not go turf hopping, because they don't need to cross the water logged area in question, instead they walk around the bank, like people with more than two brain cells to rub together.)

 

As they clear the pond, the joint group hear screaming. While they run towards the sound, Musa confirms it's Amaryl, and there's something large and Troll-like near her. As the group nears the distraught fairy, Bloom grabs a sturdy looking branch from the swamp.

 

The Troll already has Amaryl in its grasp as they arrive, the boys duck behind some bushes and begin to plan their assault/rescue. Bloom orders Stella to underarm a fist sized rock to her.

 

The crack from the branch hitting the rock startles the Troll enough for it to turn to the noise, just in time to receive a high velocity rock to the face. The Troll drops Amaryl as it flinches back, the specialists taking the Troll's pained floundering as their opportunity to attack. Amaryl's team mates help her up and away from the Troll.

 

The Troll manages to back hand Sky into the nearby cliff, and grabs Riven by the head, Brandon stabs it under the arm before the it can crush Riven's skull. Despite their best efforts, the Troll escapes.

 

The groups make sure Amaryl and co are alright, then go after the Troll. They arrive at a place where any and all trace of the Troll vanishes. Stella senses negative energy, and Tecna agrees, scanning the area with her device while Musa lays out what they know:

 

Someone shot down the ship, helped the Troll escape and vanished it from the swamp, likely the same someone who sent it after Stella on Earth.

 

Realising there's nothing left for them to do, the group returns to the downed ship and Tecna helps the boys patch it up. Since they're _long_ overdue for their assignment, the girls catch a ride with the boys, getting dropped off at Alfea.

 

Stella explains to the boys, who feel bad about their assignment, that the Swamp Trawl is held at the end of the week so anyone who fails can try again the next day, which the girls do. (after being praised for their actions by Palladium.)

 

As they prepare to re-enter the swamp, Bloom mentions she's been thinking about Tecna's problem, and talks about how in schools on Earth, they're taught about the ecosystem being one big thing, with lots of smaller parts all contributing, and maybe if Tecna tried thinking of it as a big, organic machine...

 

Flora agrees, telling Tecna about how the 'machine' of nature operates. The Fairy of Technology considers the information and tries to picture it, realising with excitement that she _can_ sense something, it's quiet, barely felt, but definitely there.

 

The group misses the school record by two and a half minutes, but are just happy to have completed the assignment.


	3. Week 02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episodes 105-107

As the second week of classes start, the group takes their turn in the school kitchen for food duty. Stella arrives late, nearly vibrating out of her skin with excitement. She has a date with Sky, the cute brunette, and prince of Eraklyon. Begging for help to pick out an outfit, the girls compromise, sending Bloom to help Stella, while the rest of them make sure the school dinners don't burn.

 

Outfit picked, Stella gives the Ring of Solaria to Bloom for safe keeping, since she won't need it and it doesn't _quite_ go with her outfit.

 

Back in the kitchens, Tecna mentions something seems off about the date, Stella and Sky were making eyes, sure, but a date? That seemed a bit sudden, plus, Tecna had looked up the Black Lagoon while Bloom was helping Stella pick an outfit, and she hadn't been able to find anything on the net about it.

 

Bloom brushes the concern off.

 

* * *

 

The following morning, Stella hasn't returned from her date, the girls joke that it must have gone _very_ well.

 

After class with Wizgiz – Bloom is happy to have managed the full pumpkin-head transformation and reversal – the girls begin to get worried, Stella hadn't shown up to class, and they are uncertain if she's even returned to the school.

 

Heading back to their dorm, they find the rooms trashed, Stella appears to confront them, accusing them of stealing her ring. Flora's midway through asking what's wrong with Stella, when Bloom declares the Blonde _isn't_ their friend, but an impostor wearing her face. Bloom demands to know who the impostor is and what they want.

 

Smirking, fake-Stella drops the act and slams the fairies against the walls with a pulse of dark energy, pinning them in place.

 

The impostor admits they want the Ring of Solaria, and that the girls had better turn it over, or face the consequences. The fairies deny the request and in response, the impostor tells them they have only a few hours to rethink the offer and bring the Ring to the Black Lagoon, or 'little princess sunshine, is going to stop shining, forever. And if you tell anyone... well...'

 

The impostor turns into a shadow and leaves through the window. Literally through the window, breaking the glass panes on its way out. The girls are released from the walls and fall to the ground, all of them shaken. After regaining her senses, Bloom darts into her room, looking for the Ring, but the place she hid it is empty.

 

'Oh no...' a small squeaking from a pile of damaged plants draws her attention, and as the three other girls join her, the leaves pull back to reveal Kiko, Bloom's pet rabbit, looking very scuffed up. Clutched in his paws is the Ring of Solaria. Knowing they have no choice, the girls leave the school grounds, retracing Stella's last known steps by heading into Magix.

 

Despite asking around for two hours, they're still no closer to locating the mysterious Black Lagoon, just about to give up hope, the girls are approached by a strange man who gives them directions to the Black Lagoon. The girls take off, walking quickly towards their destination.

 

They arrive to find a pleasant looking building with a lovely garden, but as they step closer the illusion is stripped away, leaving a decrepit building and dead plants in its wake, a miasma clinging to the air.

 

Inside they find the impostor-Stella waiting for them. 'I see you've made the right choice.'

 

The real Stella appears in the air, bound by rings of energy, and in pain. The impostor's face and body seem to melt as the magical disguise wears aware, revealing the purple clad witch from the night of the party. Beside her, two other witches appear, also from that night. The white haired witch demands the Ring in exchange for Stella's life.

 

Unwilling to risk her friend, Bloom steps forwards to hand over the Ring. Once its in her grasp, the witch grins, calling Bloom stupid as the energy rings tighten around Stella. With a shout, Bloom grabs the witch by the wrist, dragging her forwards to headbutt her.

 

The witch's nose and spell break at the same time. The witch in red suggests they get out of there, Bloom's attempt to take the Ring back from the white haired witch unsuccessful as the witch claws her and disappears with her companions.

 

Bleeding from the scratches, Bloom races to Stella's side, where their friends are helping the blonde up. 'Bloom, we have to get that ring back.' Bruises mark Stella's body where the rings had bound her. Bloom and the others want to take Stella for medical assistance, but Stella is adamant.

 

She explains that the Ring of Solaria, also known as the Sword of Power, is and ancient relic, carved from a stone that had been immersed in the Spring of Light, and was immensely powerful, capable of impossible magics, and of immeasurable cultural, spiritual, political and magical importance to her people.

 

It has been in her family since the founding of Solaria, and as the heir to the throne of Solaria, _and_ its future Guardian Fairy, the ring had bonded to her at a young age, which is why she was allowed to wear the Ring and carry it even when not on Solaria. (or on important business for Solaria.)

 

The group questions why Stella had given the Ring to Bloom the night before if it was so important.

 

When Stella admits she doesn't know, Musa suggests it was intuition. Getting outside and into the waning sunlight, Stella takes a deep breath, drawing power from the afternoon sun to heal herself.

 

The groups talks about whether or not they should ask for help, Stella saying that if anyone found out she'd lost the Ring of Solaria, her people would loose faith in her, and her family; best case scenario – she'd be grounded for life.

 

Worst case scenario – someone would take her failure as a sign she was unsuitable as the heir of Solaria and make a bid for the throne, plunging her planet into civil war.

 

The girls agree to try and recover the Ring by themselves first, calling for aid only if they failed. Knowing they're in way over their heads, the girls return to Alfea to plan.

 

The girls know the trio of witches are the same ones from the night of the party, and most likely Cloud Tower students. (Stella confirms the Ring feels like it's in the same general vicinity as the witches' school.) While trying to figure out how the witches got in, and if the fairies might use the information to get into Cloud Tower, Stella realises she might have a clue.

 

* * *

 

Tracking down an older fairy, one of the seniors, Stella asks the senior how she and her girl friend from Cloud Tower manage to see each other at school. (Cloud Tower having a similar shield barrier to Alfea.)

 

The senior swears the girls to secrecy and explains about the ancient tunnels connecting all three of the major schools of Magix (along with several other places). Busy with her study, but knowing the younger girls will try anyway, the senior lays down some ground rules and gives them a map, telling them how to get into the tunnels, and warning them of the dangers found within the archaic caverns.

 

(It is something of an unspoken 'trial of Alfea,' all fairies will at some point use the tunnels, whether to sneak off to see a partner, for mission purposes, or to smuggle 'contraband' from the city of Magix.)

 

Passing very little resistance in the tunnels, the girls make it to Cloud Tower late in the evening/early in the morning. Using Stella's connection to the Ring, the girls manage to find the room of the three witches, thankfully, the room is empty, the Ring sitting in a pile of dust and debris. Enraged, Stella takes back her Ring and prepares to start blasting.

 

Tecna stops her, pointing out that if she starts blasting, witches are going to come running, and not just the trio of thieves, but the students and staff, and then people will know about them being there, which will mean people finding out _why_ they're there, which is what Stella wanted to avoid from the get go.

 

Unable to go back the way they came, the fairies begin sneaking around, trying to find the exit. Bloom unwittingly leads the girls to the archives where she feels something calling to her. As soon as the girls enter the archives, Griffin is alerted to their presence and begins to monitor them on her crystal ball. Unhappy at the girls being in her school, she starts to heckle them with magic, chasing them through the school corridors.

 

Eventually, the girls find themselves in a storage room where they are accosted by giant bugs, with a quick blast, Stella kills the bugs, but their blood, combined with the heat of Stella's magic, sets the room on fire. The flames spread quickly, blocking the door, as the others begin to panic, Bloom feels something welling up inside of herself, the voice that had called her to the archive becoming louder. When Musa tries to touch her, she is almost burnt by the heat radiating from Bloom's skin, Stella, realising what's happening (sensing it through the emphatic magical bond she and Bloom couldn't quite explain) tells the others to leave Bloom be, and focus on shielding themselves from the smoke.

 

A wave of fire and light bursts forth from Bloom's body as she finally Manifests for the first time, surrounded by fire, with a gentle voice in her head, and desperate to save her friends from the danger she'd brought upon them. Stepping forwards, in the direction the voice guides her, the flames part, allowing the five fairies to escape the burning room.

Back in the tunnels, the girls celebrate their victory.

 

* * *

 

In the forest, the trio of witches startle as their powerful scrying spell picks up an energy source, similar to what they're seeking.

 

* * *

 

In her office, Griffin considers the fairies carefully, and writes up a grading sheet for their behaviour, hiding it in her desk.

 

(Knowing that teens will be teens, and that they will break rules, the three schools, which communicate and co-operate far more often than they pretend, have devised a grading system for rule breaking, using it to test students on their covert operations skills. Not that the students are told until graduation, lest they use it as an excuse to break the rules at every opportunity and indulge in reckless behaviour that could get them killed in the pursuit of an outstanding grade.)

 

(This doesn't stop her from telling Faragonda about the fairies' break in.)

 

* * *

 

While the girls are receiving detention from Griselda, Griffin visits the archive, removing the book Bloom was so interested in from circulation and reading it herself. Only the first few pages in the book of Princess Pyra of Domino are legible, everything afterwards (after Pyra's assumed time of death) is gibberish. Griffin makes a mental note to let her old frienemy know about the tome.

 

While grounding the girls, Faragonda makes sure to congratulate Bloom on achieving her basic Manifest Form. Then warns them that, as punishment for their reckless behaviour, she will be Binding the girls' powers for on weekend, and revoking their privileges, including the school trip to the concert that has been planned.

* * *

 

As the girls spend the day in shorts and tanks, hair up out of the way while they clean the school, and indulge in soapy splash fights, the rest of Alfea gets ready for the concert. (Stella mentions offhand that she hopes they're not still doing detention when the Miss Magix competition arrives, because she is _not_ missing that.)

 

* * *

 

At Cloud Tower, the witches, who have figured out who took the Ring from their room, decide to have a little revenge. (Just because the Ring wasn't what they wanted after all, doesn't mean those little fairies can just break into their rooms and take it.)

 

In the dining hall, Mirta speaks out against the trio's abnormal hatred towards fairies, and their plan to destroy Alfea wholesale. She is magically smothered for over a minute for her troubles. Another senior seeks her out afterwards to explain most witches don't have _that_ level of animosity towards fairies – the senior is in fact dating an Alfea girl – but the Trix (the trio consider themselves a Coven proper, with their own Covenant (Coven Name)) are a special brand of crazy, and dealing with them requires a higher level of power than Mirta currently possesses, and until she has the power to back up her words, it's better to keep her head down. (there are rumours that eight drop outs through out the Trix's time at school were actually victims of their wrath.)

 

* * *

 

Back at Alfea, the fairies are finally packing away their cleaning equipment and cleaning themselves up. The girl's decide to throw their own party while the rest of the school is at the concert, a Stella suggests inviting the boys from Red Fountain.

 

Flora rejects the idea, since it will likely get them into more trouble. Stella argues that there's nothing wrong with getting to know the boys a bit better since, depending on the career paths the girl's choose, they may end up working with the boys later in the year for inter-school assignments.

 

Flora agrees, reluctantly, and Stella gives the boys a call.

 

While they wait, Kiko knocks one of Bloom's sketch books to the floor, a page spilling out.

 

'Winx? What's Winx?'/'It's supposed to be 'wings,' I was trying to do an artistic thing with the 'g' and 's' to make them look like fairy wings...'/'Looks cool, but... why?'/'I was … it's silly, I know, but I was thinking, after everything we've been through in the last few weeks, we're kind of a team, and I just thought... we could have a team name or logo... It's silly.'/'No, I like it, what do you girls think?'/'I think it sounds like a good idea/Yeah, I'm in, Winx sounds cute but bad-ass/Me too.'/'See Bloom, we're in, By the power vested in me, as princess of Solaria, I decree us to be: The Winx.'/'It's 'wings'.'/'Nope, too late, plus Winx sounds more like a real Fairy Circle.'/'What do you mean?'/'The suffix '-ix' means the Manifest Form of a Fairy, this is like, a portmanteau of 'wings' and '-ix', so it feels more fitting./And it sounds cool.'/'Alright, I suppose it does look like Winx.'

 

Once the boys arrive, the two groups enjoy a dance fest in the dorm of the newly named 'Winx,'

 

While swapping dance partners, Bloom and Stella talk about 'Stella and Sky,' ('I don't know, I just... feel a connection, like, I don't think I'd mind if he _wasn't_ a prince?') and 'Bloom and Brandon', ('I mean I like him, but every time we start getting close, emotionally, I get struck with the overwhelming feeling that there's something he's not telling me. And I can't explain it, but it feel _important_.')

 

A few hours in, the party starts winding down, The boys have to get back to Red Fountain, and everyone has some school work they could check over. (and no one wants the boys to be caught in the school by Griselda.) Before the boys can leave though, the school starts to shake. The group gets outside in time to see a large desk fly through a window. While the boys use their wind riders to cross the courtyard, the girls take the long way round.

 

While Tecna analyses the evidence, Riven is abrasive. Quietly Musa grumbles to Flora 'he's so cute, but his attitude is so _ugly_ , but he's so _cute_.'/'if you're after the face, wait for one that comes with an attitude to match.'/'Urgh I know, but seriously, he looks like he could bench-press me.'

 

While the boys go after the creature attacking the school (after Riven tells the girls they aren't needed) the girls (stay here and wait? Ah-ha-ha-ha- **no**.) head into the school to look for the beast.

 

The girls find it first.

 

They race through the corridors, the beast hot on their heels, as the beast's roar trips them up it rushes for Tecna, who flips over the beast, causing its horns to become stuck in the wall. Knowing they can't fight the beast without their powers, and having no idea where the boys are, the girls come up with a plan. While Tecna and Flora head to the potions labs to cook up something to use, Stella heads to Faragonda's office, to call the headmistress back to the school, and Musa and Bloom lead the beast on a wild goose chase.

 

The beast manages to close the gap and Bloom and Musa are forced to attempt close quarters combat with the creature, Musa is struck and flung through the air, only to be caught by Riven, who sets her down and begins combat.

 

Riven shows tremendous skill, holding the creature back for several minutes, while the rest of the specialists catch up. The other three boys attempt to step in, distracting Riven at a critical moment, and he is smacked through a wall of lead-lit glass.

 

The trio of boys are unable to fight three-on-one in the small space of the corridor, so Musa and Bloom once again draw the beast's attention, they run into the rest of the Winx, Stella having called Faragonda (who is on her way), and Flora and Tecna having prepared some 'potions.' Stella has also picked up some liquid soap on the way, which the girls use to trip the beast, before pelting it with potions of sleep and constriction.

 

Then the Trix show up, but so does Faragonda, and even they aren't ready to fight someone powerful enough to become head of one of the Three Main Schools of Magix. (as opposed to the several other schools on Magix which cater to similar fields, but are less prestigious, since the Three Main Schools work to embody the Three Crafts.

The Trix are sent back to Cloud Tower for discipline.

* * *

 

(The Three Crafts refers to the three main groups who defend the realms, The Fairies (Fair Craft), who focus on light magic, healing and harmony with the worlds around them; Heroes (Warrior Craft), who focus on physical combat, teamwork and adapting the world around them; The Witches (Witch Craft), who, despite turning to darker ways, still seek to maintain a level of balance within themselves, they use the darkness to fight the darkness, occasionally though, some witches are consumed by it, such as the Three Ancestral Witches, and more recently, the Trix.) Wizards have their own school, but they are rarely driven to Realm Protection (on the same scale).)

* * *

 

In the office of Faragonda, the Winx make their Circle official, filling out the paperwork. Faragonda mentions that it's a shame the group will have to be split up so soon after forming. Stella explains to a confused Bloom about the magical equivalent of Mother's Day. Bloom admits that, while she feels enormously homesick, she wants to stay at the school and get caught up on a few things.

 

Stella inquires whether Bloom is talking about the weird dreams she's started having. When a curious Faragonda asks, Bloom confesses she's been having strange dreams ever since she'd first transformed, that make her worried, but she was having trouble remembering them, and isn't sure if they're that clear while she's dreaming them anyway.

 

Concerned, Faragonda suggests a few books on dream recall, and to let her know if Bloom feels the dreams might be serious, rather than simple bad dreams brought on by stress or homesickness.


	4. Week 03

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episodes 108 - 109

The day before Magical Mother's Day (The Day of the Rose) is a half day for Alfea students (as is the day after, to permit for travel times and inter-planetary time zones.) After seeing off Flora and Tecna, the remaining trio start planning what to they're going to do on the Day of the Rose.

 

Stella begins telling Musa and Bloom about a festival in Magix, mentioning the Red Fountain boys were planning to enter a race (which she knew courtesy of Sky). When Musa declines the invite, Stella asks why she's staying at the school. Bloom's staying for research, Stella's own parents are divorcing (something Bloom found out on her trip to Stella's wardrobe), but why is Musa staying?

 

After an insensitively worded question by Stella, Musa lashes out angrily, taking a swipe at the princess, the fairy of music confesses that her mother is dead, and after telling Stella to 'shut up,' Musa flees.

 

Stella looks like she wants to punch herself for her insensitivity, but Bloom talks her out of it, making a plan for Stella to apologise later, once Musa's calmed down. In an effort to cheer up the blonde, Bloom agrees to going with her to see the boys race.

 

While something seems a little fragile around the edges, Stella smiles happily and begins making plans, talking clothes, transport and festival sights.

 

* * *

The morning of the actual Day of the Rose, Bloom jolts awake, the question 'remember what' spilling out of her mouth before she has a chance to even realise she's awake. Stella pops her head into the room, already dressed to impress, and wanting to know who Bloom was talking to. (Apparently she'd heard Bloom calling out a few times from the next room and come to investigate.)

 

Bloom tells Stella what she can remember about her dream while she finds her own clothes for the day. (A strange glowing woman calling to her, telling her to remember. The voice familiar, like she'd heard it recently but can't quite place it.)

 

Out in the dorm's main room, they run into Musa on her way to breakfast and Stella quickly apologises. Musa, looking more worn than angry, accepts the apology, admitting she knows Stella didn't mean what she'd said _how_ she'd said it. Musa goes on to mention that she was a little jealous of the other Winx all having their mothers, even Stella who, even though her mother wasn't sticking around in the same capacity, wasn't losing her forever.

 

The girls hug, letting their embrace translate the last unspoken words of forgiveness and support.

 

After Musa declines to join them again, Bloom and Stella let Musa know she is still welcome to join them at any time, or if she isn't up to crowds but doesn't want to be alone, they can absolutely cancel or cut short their plans.

 

Musa replies by shoving them out the door towards the breakfast hall.

 

* * *

In Cloud Tower the Trix seethe over their punishment, and decide to try again at revenge. (“They're _first years_! We're _seniors_! I won't let those pesky winged ***** get between us and the Dragon Fire _AGAIN_!... Darcy? What are you doing with that scrying mirror?”/ “That boy from Alfea, the one with darkness in his heart... he's going to the festival today.”/ “So?”/ “So, I think I'll go introduce myself.”)

 

* * *

In Magix, the two girls meet up with Sky, Brandon and Riven. They make their way through town, looking at various sights as they head closer and closer to the place the boys need to be for the start of their race.

 

While watching one of the early races, Riven takes a chance to proclaim his upcoming victory, and while Sky tells Stella he'll have to put the pedal to the metal to beat Riven, both Sky and Brandon treat Riven's declaration as nothing more than empty bragging, which annoys Riven who becomes increasingly hostile as the group approaches the starting point.

 

While Stella and Sky make goo-goo eyes at each other, Bloom and Brandon make awkward-shy eyes. Sky and Brandon begin taunting Riven about not having anyone to cheer him on, and the girls give the boys disappointed looks, telling Riven they'll cheer for him too.

 

This doesn't go over well with any of the boys, and before any of them can stop and think about what they're saying, all of them blurt out horrible things, the worst of which is Riven, who decides to jab at the sore point Bloom and Stella's words have revealed in Brandon's holier-than-thou attitude.

 

Riven declares that he'll not only win the race, he'll be escorting _both_ fairies to the ball later in the day. Still riled up, Bloom enchants a vase to spill water over Riven, and only after he runs off, the other three laughing at his retreating back, does Bloom realise a line has been crossed.

 

Slowly it dawns on the other three, and the quartet stand there feeling a bit sick at their own actions.

 

It comes out that, as long as they've known him, Riven has always resented Brandon and Sky, and despite being one of the best in the school, Riven always acts like he has something to prove.

 

Bloom tells them they need to find Riven and apologise and the group heads out.

 

(Unseen nearby, Darcy laughs victoriously.)

 

While looking for their lost companion, Bloom is separated from the others, only to run into Timmy. Something in Bloom's instincts pings faintly, but she lets Timmy guide her back to the Square where their group was supposed to be gathering. On the way, Timmy asks what Bloom is so worried about, and the fairy tells him about the fight with Riven. Timmy offers Bloom a high-tech helmet to give Riven as a piece offering. Once Bloom accepts, Timmy points her in the right direction and tells Bloom no to tell anyone that he (Timmy) had given her the helmet.

 

Upon finding the others, who had found Riven in the meantime, Bloom admits to getting lost and (since it wouldn't be break her word exactly, and being suspicious AF) tell the others that Timmy had pointed her in the right direction. The others give her a funny look before telling Bloom that Timmy had gone home for the Day of the Rose.

 

Yelping, Bloom drops the helmet case and tells the others not to touch it, before explaining its origins. Riven scoffs “you think I need technological assistance to beat these losers?” Annoyed all over again, Riven leaves for the starting line.

 

Stella helps Bloom run a scanning spell, which alerts them both to the presence of dark magic in the device. Sharing a look, the remaining quartet try to figure out who would want to sabotage Riven. The girls come to a conclusion right away, while in the shadows, Darcy seethes, and decides to enact 'plan B'.

 

Riven, Brandon and Sky spend the majority of the race in the lead, until, right near the end, another competitor catches up, getting in the way of both Sky and Brandon, and letting Riven win by a landslide, the mysterious entrant comes in a close second.

 

While the boys were racing, Stella and Bloom went looking for the Trix, trying to figure out what the witches wanted, so they miss Riven's first real meeting with Darcy. (“Nice riding hero.”/ “Just nice?”/ “Well, (flirty look) when compared with the rest of you. (smoulder)”)

 

Unable to find any trace of the witches, the fairies head over to congratulate their boys on their race results.

 

That evening, the quartet enjoy themselves as the Rose Ball, while Riven and Darcy spend the evening getting to know each other, and staying far away from the others.

* * *

Waking in the middle of the night to a desperate shout, Flora finds Bloom shifting back and forth between her human and fairy form, calling out to someone in her sleep. Thinking quickly, Flora sets her phone camera to record, points it in Bloom's direction, and runs for Stella.

 

Despite being tired and cranky, Stella is more afraid for her friend, having never heard of someone 'partially' transforming their sleep before. Awoken by Flora's knocking on Stella's door, and curious about the lights on, Tecna and Musa come to see what's going on. Also unable to even guess what's going on, the four friends stand by Bloom's bed, uncertain whether they should do anything or not.

 

Bloom wakes up with a shout of 'Daphne!' to find her friends standing around her bed looking very worried. When she asks what's going on, Flora hands over her phone with the recording of Bloom's wavering sleep transformations.

 

The group debate whether or not to go to Faragonda with this, but after realising the time, decide to wait until morning.

* * *

Armed with a sketch of 'Daphne,' (drawn by Bloom because she is an artist damnit) Bloom and the others seek out Faragonda. In her office, Faragonda is shocked by the girls' accounts of Bloom's sleep transformations, and startles when she recognises her former student, Daphne, from the drawing.

 

Faragonda explains that Daphne was the Crown Princess of Domino, and a 'Nymph' of Magix until the Siege and Destruction of Domino roughly 150 years ago. When questioned what it all means, Faragonda admits she has a suspicion, but it seems highly implausible and she doesn't want to influence Bloom's perception of events concerning Daphne's attempts to contact her. (and possibly causing confusion with Daphne's intention.)

 

Faragonda directs Bloom to the Library to research Daphne on her own, telling her where to find the old year books from that time if she's interested in more personal aspects of Daphne pre-graduation.

 

After school, the girls head into Magix to check out the frieze of the Nymphs in the town centre, learning little in the way of new information, before returning to the school.

 

Where they realise they've been so preoccupied with Daphne, that they've neglected to study for their upcoming exam in the magical simulator room. The girls hold a study party and make sure they're prepped for their day long exam block in two days. (Bloom calls Brandon to cancel the 'not a date' they had planned, they agree to reschedule, school work being very important.)

 

The girls go over air, water and soil purification, magical fertilisation, plant growth, weather adaptations and so forth. By the time the exam arrives, they all feel they're as prepared as they can be.


	5. Week 04

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episodes 110 - 111

The girls show up to their exams, all five prepped and ready, Kiko shows up too, carrying a single large seed pod, and an amused Palladium lets Kiko 'take the test' with Bloom.

 

Just before Bloom's exam can start, she feels something familiar, ('Daphne?'/'Is everything alright Bloom?'/'Yes Professor, I just... thought I felt something...'/'Would you like to stop the exam?'/'No, it's alright, it wasn't a bad feeling, please, go ahead.'/'Alright, loading environment.')

 

Around Bloom materialises a freezing world, what little of the surface isn't covered in ice and snow, is barren frozen stone. Bloom magics up a thermal outfit for herself, and gets Kiko inside her jacket, a little beanie covering his tiny rabbit head.

 

She feels Daphne again, off in the distance, and begins to follow. Bloom finds her way to what most likely used to be a town, now a remnant of worn out and fallen down buildings. The feeling blankets the area, and Bloom realises she needs to get on with her exam, not waste time looking for a vague, nebulous 'feeling'. With Kiko spying from her jacket, Bloom begins to craft a magical 'green house', shielding the area from the biting cold.

 

Once the air warms up inside, Kiko leaves the safety of Bloom's thermals, and begins to look around. Meanwhile, Bloom gets to work, adjusting her seed mixtures and potions to accommodate the unbearably cold atmosphere, and begins sowing gardens in the skeletons of the town. With the gardens underway, Bloom begins to look at stabilising and expanding the 'green house' zone, but is distracted when Kiko comes racing out of one of the houses, frantic in a way she hasn't seen since he showed her to Stella the first day they met.

 

Worried, Bloom follows Kiko into one of the few houses still in (relatively) good condition.

 

Inside is... not an alter, but it contains pictures of the royal family of Domino, The king, queen, Daphne and a small baby. Another photo, attached to what must be a new paper, contains a photo of Daphne with a crown, cuddling with the infant.

 

'Royal Sisters Daphne and Pyra celebrate Daphne's Victory over Evil Wizard'

 

The article mentions the siege of Domino in past tense, confusing Bloom, who'd thought the siege had been what destroyed Domino, but she's too caught up in the photo to read the article properly. There's something incredibly important about the photo of the strawberry blonde and the infant. Picking the newspaper up, she knocks over a small stone figurine of Daphne, on the bottom is a strange pattern which is somehow familiar to Bloom.

 

Unable to make sense of it, Bloom folds the paper up and puts it and the figurine in one of her pockets, taking Kiko with her as she returns to her exam, unsure how to deal with the realisation she's kinda-sorta on _Domino._

 

Once the exam is over, Bloom gets full marks, and an apology from Palladium, who admits something went awry with the Chamber, and she wasn't supposed to go to Domino. The newspaper and the figurine sit heavy in her pocket.

 

After an hour long break while all the Chamber is checked over, the rest of the exams continue, all of the Winx passing with flying colours.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the week goes well for the girls, though they get side tracked from their investigation into Daphne as they begin to prep for a potions exam. In preparation for the Potions exam, Flora has been growing a 'few' extra plants around the dorm for ingredients.

 

This comes to a head near the end of the week when the other girls have a few too many mishaps with the plants. Unsure what to do, the group sits down and talks it out, with a small amount of yelling thrown in, before they decide to track down Ms. Griselda to see if they can have some unused (non-dorm) space for Flora's plants, and other such projects the group might have. Griselda manages to find the group one of the smaller workshops the school contains for such occasions. (not necessarily plant invasions, but long term projects not suitable for the dorms.)

 

* * *

 

The girls spend the first day of their weekend setting up the room, and getting the plants situated. (Stella donates a few mirrors for the vainer plants, and Tecna sets up some (night vision) cameras so Flora can keep an eye on the plants.)

 

While the group is working, Flora mentions she wanted to find a Cheerful Gladiolus for her Potions Project, and the group decides to go hunting for one together, since some of them still need ingredients from Black Mud Swamp anyway.

 

After getting permission from Griselda to leave campus, the girls don their khaki adventure-in-the-wilderness outfits, pin up their hair and get underway. (Palladium gives the girls a ride out to the Black Mud Swamp in the school's 'bus', before returning to the school, telling the girls to call him when they need him to come pick them up.)

 

* * *

 

During their excursion, the Winx come across a few undine. After a brief misunderstanding, the undine realise the girls are fairies, and ask for their help. Several of their people have gone missing after attempting to harvest the resources of the Zilith, a willow like tree from which they make their homes. A search and rescue team were sent out, but four days later, still haven't returned.

 

The Winx agree to help and ask for any info the undine can give them on the situation.

 

The undine explain there is a monster which leaves near the harvesting site, but they don't usually have trouble with it, as they stay out of its area of reach. The Winx gather what info they can about the monster, but keep in mind the undines' doubts about the monster's part in the vanishings.

 

Parting ways, the undine return to their village to tell the queen about the investigation, while the Winx head towards the harvesting area.

 

The monster catches the Winx off guard, and drags Musa beneath the water. The girls act quickly, (using a spell they'd come across during their environmental rehabilitation studies the week before) and dive down, where they find Musa in a cave. Bloom jumps into the cave opening just as it closes, realising it wasn't the cave but the creature's mouth. She uses a short range teleportation spell (learned during a matter transference class held by Wizgiz) and gets herself and Musa clear of the mouth. Not sticking around to see the creature's reaction, the Winx get out of their, rushing to the nearby island to tend to Musa, who (thankfully) doesn't need CPR. Just in case though, the girls have Musa perform the same spell they did to help her breathe and get any remaining water out of her lungs.

 

(the spell lasts for an unspecified amount of time, and the girls don't bother turning it off since they've never used it before and they want to see how long it actually lasts.)

 

Musa and Tecna notice something odd with the lack of wild life sounds, and Tecna decides to analyse the strangely coloured mist hanging around the plants. (Meanwhile, Flora tells the others about the Red Willow trees they're walking through, and the way they spiral out from their leader.)

 

Tecna is alarmed to discover the mist is actually a type of sleeping gas, and warns the others. The Winx conclude it may have something to do with the disappearances they're there to investigate, since the island they're on is the harvesting site. Their theory is confirmed when the arrive at the centre of the spiral to find almost two dozen sleeping undine and even more birds.

 

Flora realises right away that the red willows' leader tree is under some dark enchantment. Using their collective knowledge, the Winx Manage to remove the curse from the tree, dispersing the cloud of sleeping gas that lingers over the island.

 

The awakened undine are confused but thankful, and accept help with their Zilith harvest. Tecna and Flora take notes of the environmental factors, offering to help the undine replant a few of the Zilith plants when they learn the island moves (and realise the island and monster are in fact just a giant turtle). The undine accept the replanted Zilith, but just a few, since the island always comes back. (The Winx reapply the spell to breath underwater and investigate (at a distance) and realise the turtle is following a migratory feeding path.)

 

* * *

 

While celebrating with the undine, Bloom spots an odd sigil, the queen identifies it as an ancient symbol that had been there long before they arrived, part of an archaic temple that had stood on the same spot long, _long_ ago _._

 

* * *

 

As the girls wait in the designated clearing for Palladium, Flora asks Stella what she plans to do with her ingredients, to which Stella informs her that the ingredients aren't for a potion, but for her hair and skin, reminding her friends that the Miss Magix contest is later in the week, and saying that she was determined to win this year.

 

On the way back to school, Palladium tells the girls to write up a report on their adventure and turn it into Griselda for extra credit. (The girls are surprised to learn Griselda was a combat specialist in her youth, and is currently in charge of combat classes as well as being the head of discipline at Alfea.)


	6. Week 05

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episodes 112

While prepping for Miss Magix (which includes dancing and skin care) Flora offers to make Stella some better, all natural skin and hair care products than the ones she's using/making herself. Stella readily agrees.

 

The day of their Potions exam arrives and the girls get ready. Having secured an early absence so she can make up her last class of the day outside school hours, Stella preps for the Miss Magix contest between classes. (she wears her hair in a conditioning wrap during the potions exam, and a face mask during lunch.) Their class mate Lolina, who (like Heidi and Sabatha) is also planning to compete in the beauty contest, asks after Flora's products.

 

The Winx, Lolani, Heidi, Sabatha and a few of their friends all gather by the school entrance during the last class period, where they are met by Faragonda and Griselda, who take the girls on the school's 'bus' to Magix.

 

The Winx help Stella keep her costumes and props straight behind stage, cheering their friend on, while Lolina's friends do the same for her.

 

During final prep, the Winx hear someone crying, in the hall Lolina is comforting another contestant, who's normally straight hair has spontaneously become a voluminous afro. Unfortunately for the girl, the 'fro does not suit her facial structure.

(Like seriously, why couldn't she have gotten their mother's cheek bone to jawline ratio like her sister, why did she have to take after her father so much, and what was she going to do about outfits, all of her necklines were chosen with her normal down-style in mind, not the neck and collar bone baring up-do, and how could things be going wrong before the competition even started, like she hadn't been nervous enough already!?!?)

Unable to let such a thing stand, Stella has the girl ushered into her dressing room and breaks out the hair care products. Midway through taming the girl's hair, the Fairies realise there's magic at play.

 

When they take the matter to the security team, the head of security admits there's nothing they can do with out a suspect and more proof. Upset, the girls head back to their preparations.

 

Before the curtains rise, Stella, Sabatha, Heidi and Lolina wish each other good luck.

 

Out in the crowd, Faragonda and Griselda wait to cheer their girls on, and notice the Trix lounging near the front. Quietly, Faragonda gets in contact with Griffin to ask if she knows the witches are there.

 

As the show begins, everything seems normal, though contestant ten, Miss Lucy, gains an unusual level of interest from the crowd. Back stage, Stella's nerves start to get the better of her, but a few words from her friends put her right.

 

As the talent portion of the evening commences, things start going wrong. As the medical teams get busy, the Winx get in contact with Faragonda and Griselda, who point out the Trix still laughing in the front row.

 

Stealthily, the girls get in touch with the security team again, and they keep an eye on the witches. Unfortunately, the Trix are very good at subtle hexes, so ruining the talent displays without getting caught is child's play, even under direct supervision.

 

By the time Stella's turn is up, she's hyper alert, with Bloom behind the curtain to keep an eye on her, Stella manages to avoid the falling spot light, and dance right over the cracks in the stage as she performs one of the traditional dances of Solaria's agricultural sectors.

 

At the end of the competition, Lucy is crowned Miss Magix, until her glamour is ripped away and her true visage is revealed. Mortified and humiliated, Lucy runs away before she can be disqualified. Backstage she runs into Mirta, who tells Lucy that she told her not to trust the Trix, and that she hadn't needed them anyway, Mirta's always thought Lucy was beautiful. Lucy tells her to shut up, that she's stupid and doesn't know anything, but accepts Mirta's hug as she (Lucy) breaks down crying. (Lucy keeps the original Miss Magix crown.)

 

On stage, first runner up, Miss Stella is crowned the new Miss Magix, and when asked for a few words, says that she thinks “all the contestants tonight are beautiful, and they were amazing under the duress of the talent display sabotage.”

 

Unable to prove the Trix were behind the sabotage, the security team, and the fairies, have to let them go.

 

While Stella is ecstatic, and the Winx are thrilled for their friend, the rest of the girls are bummed, so the Winx keep their feelings low-key in respect. Faragonda and Griselda take the group by a 24/7 type diner on the way back to Alfea, to celebrate and commiserate the evening.

 

The rest of the week is filled with midterm exams.


	7. Week 06

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode 113

The following week is the midterm break period, Stella transports Bloom straight into her bedroom in Gardenia, surprising her parents. After staying a day, Stella heads home to Solaria, promising to say 'hi' to her parents on Bloom's behalf.

 

Bloom spends the first day at home, unwinding and getting some of her break-work (homework done over break period) done and out of the way while her parents head off to work.

 

That evening is spent showing her parents all the photos and sketches she's done while at school, and showing off her Fairy Form. And telling them about Daphne, and the dreams. Mike is surprised to realise he recognises the sketch of Daphne, and realises there was something he hadn't told Bloom about the night he'd found her.

 

Starting slowly, Mike describes the night 16 years before, when an entire downtown apartment block had caught fire, one of the worst fires in the history of Gardenia, and yet no one had died.

 

While fighting the blaze, Mike thought he saw someone in the flames, with a shout to his colleagues, he headed into the building, following the woman he could only seem to catch in the corner of his eyes.

 

When he finally lost track of her, he was in a room with a strange glowing dome, and a baby in a blanket. Mike spoke about taking the baby from the burning building, holding her close while the fire finally started dying down.

 

Calling Vanessa while the police looked for the baby's family.

 

Making the decision between themselves, (when the police admitted no-one had stepped forwards to claim the infant,) that they were going to adopt the little girl. Their little miracle.

 

Bloom has a minor blue-screen of death as she tries to comprehend just how bizarre her arrival in her parents life was, derailing herself before she can freak out fully, she asks what Daphne has to do with that night.

 

Mike tells her the woman who hadn't been there, the one who'd led him to Bloom, looked a hell of a lot like this Daphne that Bloom's been dreaming of.

 

The family sits in silence for a long time before Bloom goes to bed, the revelations keeping her awake long into the night.

 

* * *

 

The following day Bloom wakes up late, and calls a friend she hasn't spoken to since normal school ended. After a long round of profuse apology, her friend agrees to meet with her.

 

Bloom rides down to Gardenia's beach, and parks at the Frutti Music Bar, finding her friend Selina inside. After some terse conversation, Bloom tells Selina she'd been accepted into an exclusive boarding school really far away, and that she'd been so busy with school that she hadn't had a chance to call.

 

Selina calls bullshit, since there's still a few weeks of summer vacation left. Bloom explains the school operates on a different schedule, because of its location. Selina asks if the school is in Australia, and Bloom tells her its 'something like that'.

 

Selina huffs and lets it slide, the waitress drops by with their drinks, and as she leaves Bloom and Selina try to recall her name, since the girl goes to their school. She's not in any of their classes, and they think she might be the year below them, maybe. (it starts with an 'R'?Maybe/ Rachel/Ricky/Roxanne?)

 

Bloom asks what Selina's been up to during her summer break; Selina tells her about hanging out with Eldora, the old woman who lives near that awesome flower field where they used to play. Apparently Eldora had some 'gnarly old books on folklore,' which Selina was getting back into. She'd also hung out with Andy and his band a couple of times, and 'hey, they're playing here next week, you should come check it out.'

 

Bloom tells her that she'll be gone again by then, which pisses Selina off a little, and the rest of their day is passed with an angry undercurrent. When they part ways, Selina says she'll be busy with for the rest of the week. Bloom knows she's lying, and berates herself for not keeping in better contact with her friend.

 

* * *

 

Riding over to her mother's shop to commiserate, Bloom arrives while her mother is talking to two men. From what Bloom catches of the conversation, Vanessa is hesitating to sign some papers and become business partners with the men.

 

They tell Vanessa to consider it for another day, and give her answer tomorrow. As they leave, Bloom gets a really bad feeling from the two men, her heightened danger senses ringing all the alarms. She says as much to her mother, who agrees something about the deal had felt too good to be true.

 

The pair go for ice cream on their way home, and talk about Bloom's feeling on being adopted under such strange circumstances, feeling lost, feeling found, feeling uncertain. Vanessa assures Bloom that she is their daughter no matter what, and she and Mike will always be there for her, and they will always love her.

 

When they get home, they have a similar conversation with Mike, so all three know they're all on the same page.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Bloom decides to help her mother at the shop, and when the two arrive, they find the two men with the offer waiting for them. After having a heart to heart to heart the night before, the family had booted up the computer, and researched the men, so when they ask for Vanessa's answer, she shuts them down _hard_. Not liking her decision, the men leave, telling her she'll regret her choice.

 

Less then two hours later, a brick is thrown through the shop's glass door. Vanessa calls the cops and explains the situation to them. The officer who arrives to investigate is a friend of Mike's and promises to look into the situation. After he takes photos of the scene and leaves, Bloom magically repairs the door.

 

An hour later, two men on a motorbike drive by, smashing a vase just after Bloom puts it down. Vanessa calls the police, and an ambulance.

 

Bloom has three shards of porcelain that need to be pulled out of her skin, and a variety of small cuts from the shattered vase.

 

The police agree to send multiple officers out to question the men who'd threatened Vanessa that morning.

 

That night, the shop is broken into and trashed. When Vanessa and Bloom arrive, Vanessa almost breaks down in tears. The police put a few units on rotation to watch the shop.

 

Late into the evening, the family gets a call: the police arrested a man during attempted arson.

 

By the time dawn breaches the horizon, everyone involved in the attempted destruction of the shop is under arrest.

 

* * *

 

The trio spend the last few day of Bloom's vacation together. Stella arrives late in the evening on the last night to take Bloom back to Alfea. The princess is horrified to hear about the recent ordeal and offers to send some royal guards to help look after the shop, but Vanessa turns her down, assuring the teen that the local law enforcement have dealt with the situation and everything was over.


	8. Week 07

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episodes (partial 114), 115, 117

At Cloud Tower the Trix have finally found a spell that should help them pinpoint the Dragon Fire, their vacuums having memorised the signature during the few times they've managed to sense it. While they focus on that, they begin using Lucy to do some of their gofer work since, even after the Miss Magix nonsense, Lucy still worships them.

 

A worried Mirta begins spying on the Trix.

* * *

At Alfea, the Winx enjoy a week with no stress other than school work for a change (which includes a peculiar 'pop quiz' from Wizgiz involving an exploding envelope), to celebrate, they decide to sneak into the Festival at Red Fountain at the end of the week (since it's invitation only, and Ms. Faragonda doesn't have plus 5 allowance on her invite.).

 

The girls fly high up and use a minor illusion to get past security, they settle themselves on a blanket on the hard top of the arena's seating area and settle in to watch. The girls enjoy a picnic lunch on the roof, and Bloom – who brought her new sketchpad – knocks out a few dozen small, quick sketches.

 

Stella asks about commissioning Bloom for a royal portrait. Bloom thinks she's joking. Before Stella can set her straight, an unfamiliar fairy joins them from down in the crowd. She introduces herself as Princess Diaspro of Eraklyon, telling them that they'd been seen by one of her guards, and demands to know what they're doing.

 

Stella is surprised, and says she didn't know Sky had a sister. This angers Diaspro, who spits out that she isn't Sky's sister, they aren't related, Diaspro is from the royal line of Isis, and she's Sky's betrothed.

 

The Winx have a brief 'blue screen' moment, before Stella argues back that Sky would never cheat, that's not who he is. The Winx and Diaspro have a brief argument (during which Stella declares herself as the Princess of Solaria) before they all realise they've been talking about two different people. Diaspro points to actual Sky, who is on the opposite side of the arena to actual Brandon, and as the six Fairies try to figure out who's wrong, Stella has an 'oh my god' moment.

 

In one of their dates, fake!Sky had asked her if she'd still like him even if he wasn't a prince. (to which Stella had said yes.)

 

The Sun Fairy realises he was trying to tell her. This goes a long way to soothe her feelings at being lied to. Diaspro is happy Sky hadn't actually cheated on her, but notices Bloom looking a little guilty. When confronted about it, Bloom admits she felt she and Bran- Sky, had had a connection, and that she'd been interested and thought he'd been interested too, but there had always been this sense of hesitance any time their relationship veered passed friends or colleagues.

 

Like: he'd like to, but he _wouldn't_. There had been curious sort of probing, but never any actual flirting.

 

Diaspro looks hurt, like she doesn't know whether to cry or rage, and tells the girls it's an arranged union, and while Diaspro actually loves Sky, she thinks that for him it's only duty.

 

After the festival is over, during which Riven and actual Sky kept trying to one up each other, King Erendor addresses his son directly as Prince Sky, revealing the truth the everyone in the arena. Not that many of the guests knew there was a big reveal.

 

In private, Diaspro and the Winx confront Sky and Brandon. Sky admits that he just wanted to be a normal guy for a few years before he had to be The King. Diaspro and Bloom give him stern talking to about the fact that he never mentioned he was in a relationship even though he and Bloom kind of, sort of, almost maybe had a thing. (the moment he realised there was reciprocal interest, he should have mentioned he was in a relationship, whether he planned on cheating or not, he didn't even have to say he was engage or that they were both royals.)

 

Stella asks Brandon how much of their relationship was real, and he tells her 'everything except my name.' She replies that she needs some time to wrap her head around the situation, and Brandon agrees to back off and wait for her to be ready.

 

The groups part ways as the Winx have to beat their headmistress back to school, and Stella and Diaspro swap numbers, 'in the name of royal diplomacy and stuff.' (but actually for swapping gossip about the boys.)

 

The girls _just_ manage to make it back before Faragonda.


	9. Week 08

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episodes 116, 118-120

The following week sees the Winx experiencing several nights worth of bad dreams, Bloom begins having visions of Daphne, and a place near Cloud Tower, she becomes convinced Daphne is trying to tell her to go there.

 

The others don't agree, given the dramatically different tone Bloom is describing of her dream. The girls get increasingly aggravated as the week goes on, constantly tired they begin sniping at each other. Kiko, meanwhile, is showing his own signs of stress, and a mysterious set of scratches.

 

Finally, the girls are all so tired, the end up falling asleep in their dorm's common room, homework unfinished in front of them.

 

Stella is woken from her bad dreams a few hours later when Kiko bites her, a terrifying monster looming over a sleeping Bloom, seemingly feeding from her mind. Stella screams and casts a wordless spell, a wave of dawn light, which wakes the other four. Together they manage to fight off the creature, but not destroy it, they make a run for the teachers' dorms, but are attacked along the way. They have trouble transforming, their powers affected by how physically and mentally tired they all are, but in the end they manage, coming together as a team.

 

The whole school is woken by the Winx's fight as it moves (very loudly) to the central courtyard, everyone peers out in time to see the Winx defeat the monster. In the aftermath, the girls are given the day off from classes in order to rest and recover (after the teachers have gone through their dorms to check for lingering traces of malignant magic).

* * *

While the girls sleep, an investigation is launched by the teachers and senior students still at the school (most senior fairies, especially those who've achieved the Form of Enchantix, spend several weeks throughout the year shadowing graduated/working fairies or working with members in their chosen fields in preparation for their own graduation.)

* * *

 

Late that evening, the Winx, still tired but much more refreshed than they have been since the nightmares began, talk about Bloom's belief that Daphne was trying to make contact. Given the presence of the nightmare creature, the other's disagree, but Bloom becomes more certain that the monster was trying to _stop_ Daphne from reaching her.

 

Once the rest of the Winx have gone back to bed, Bloom sneaks out, taking the map of the catacombs with her.

 

She makes her way to an exit near Cloud Tower, where she expects to find Daphne, only to come face to face with the Trix.

 

The Trix use the element of surprise to great effect, until Mirta gets the jump on them, her distraction gives Bloom enough time to transform, but even in her fairy form and with Mirta's help, they're still only two first years, and the Trix fight dirty. Darcy manages to get a hold of Mirta and holds her hostage, threatening to kill her if Bloom doesn't co-operate.

 

At first Bloom is hesitant, she doesn't know Mirta, it could be a trap, but when Darcy starts breaking skin, Bloom crumbles and asks what the Trix want from her.

 

They want her power. Bloom is reluctant, but a life is on the line, and Bloom lived for sixteen years without magic. She knows she'd survive without it.

 

Through the shadow magic gagging her Mirta tries to tell Bloom not to do it, Mirta's learned (from spying on the Trix) what Bloom's power is. Mirta doesn't believe saving her own life is more important than keeping the power out of the hands of the Trix.

 

But Bloom doesn't know any of that.

 

The Trix suck the power from Bloom, letting her body drop to the ground, limp and unconscious and in her human form.

 

While they celebrate their victory, Mirta finally breaks free of her bonds and runs for Bloom, hoisting the fairy over her shoulder and staggering away before the Trix remember they're there. Because Mirta learned something else from her spying: as long as Bloom is alive, there's a chance she can take her powers back.

 

Mirta is still a distance from the catacombs when she's surrounded by a group of fairies. The Winx were woken by Kiko, only to find Bloom missing, they put two and two together and used Tecna's digital copy of the map to figure out her most likely route.

 

Mirta manages to explain what happened, and while the Winx are suspicious, they're prepared to believe her, they're more interested in getting Bloom back to Alfea and to medical assistance anyway.

* * *

 

At Alfea, Nurse Ofelia tells the girls, and Faragonda, that Bloom is in magical shock, the result of having almost all of her magical powers taken from her. (only almost all, if it had been all, Bloom would be dead. Fairy Magic is Soul Deep.)

 

Scared for her friend, Stella acts rashly and pours a small part of her own power into Bloom before anyone can stop her. Ofelia tells Stella that killing herself won't save Bloom.

 

To which Bloom agrees groggily.

 

Faragonda and Ofelia are amazed, while Stella and Bloom's powers share a bare similarity and an unusually high level of empathy, the small bit of power Stella passed to Bloom shouldn't have been enough to wake her.

 

Bloom asks for an update on the situation, explaining the fight with the witches in turn, before Mirta reveals that Bloom's powers weren't just fire magic, but the Dragon Fire itself.

 

Having learned about the Dragon Fire while researching Daphne, Bloom asks how that could be possible. Faragonda finally tells Bloom her theory on why Daphne has been trying to contact Bloom: Bloom is the descendant of the lost royal family of Domino, possibly born of princess Pyra's line. Faragonda theorises that during the Battle Of Domino, Pyra was taken away, most likely by trusted friends, and raised in hiding. Faragonda surmises that it is the most likely scenario given that Pyra was the only family member who was... unaccounted for after Domino fell.

 

Faragonda goes on to say that Daphne's spirit was trapped between life and death, but that she hadn't been seen since the Fall of Domino, Faragonda herself being the last one to speak with her in the royal palace, though Daphne had been somewhat incoherent with shock after all that had occurred.

 

Before anything else can happen, Bloom curls in on herself in intense pain. Stella, Flora, Mirta and Faragonda all waver, feeling suddenly nauseated. ( _Far and deep beneath, in old, old caverns, something crackles and begins to break._ ) When Musa asks them what's going on, Mirta whispers 'they've summoned it.' When asked for clarification Mirta tells them about her spying on the Trix, and learning about their plan to summon the Army of Decay.

 

She also tells them, before they can freak out, that the Trix's own research indicates that Bloom should be able to take the Dragon Fire back. Unfortunately, it doesn't say how.

 

No one has any idea how Bloom might do it, especially with effectively zero magic. Faragonda suggests asking Daphne, asking the girls if they'd be willing to go to Domino to find her.

 

The girls agree readily, even Mirta, who wants to make up for her part in everything, but Faragonda denies her request, telling her they'll need Mirta at Alfea, telling them absolutely everything she can remember about the Trix's plans.

 

Faragonda contacts Saladin at Red Fountain to tell him of the impending attack, and to inform him she couldn't get in contact with Griffin. The pair activate their schools' emergency broadcast systems but before they can say much more then 'we're under attack,' all communications are cut, leaving the schools with no way to find out what's happening beyond their field of view. While the two schools prepare themselves for battle, the Winx prepare for Domino, filling bags with power bars, thermally insulated bottles of water, and healing potions they'd made for classes and never thrown out.

 

Dressed in cold weather gear, the group makes their way to the magical reality chamber, which has been modified with various artefacts to create an interplanetary transport. Unfortunately, with the anti-tele-barrier up, communications aren't the only thing being blocked, so the chamber only has enough power for this one jump, and even then, Palladium can't guarantee a location other than: on the surface of Domino.

 

With the danger of what they're about to do finally setting in, Stella makes a decision and gives Bloom the Ring of Solaria. Before Bloom can argue, Stella tells her that even if Bloom can't use the Ring, Stella can track it, so if they get separated, she'll be able to find Bloom.

 

Griselda has one last thing for the group, a spell called 'Memento of the Hearth', a spell that will keep them warm in their fairy forms, should the need to transform, though the unnatural cold of Domino would likely run through the spell's power fast. (Every Manifest Form will provide some level of protection from the cold, but the cold of Domino is the work of the Ancestral Witches, and can pierce through the standard cold protection of most Forms.)

 

With nothing left to say but 'good luck,' the Winx go.

 

Bloom staggers as they land, telling the others that her 'brain feels muffled.' Flora proposes that it's an effect of the Ancestral Witches' magic, a curse left for any survivors who might return to Domino, since the others can't feel it.

 

Looking around, the girls see nothing but ice and frozen stone.

 

With no idea where they are, Bloom begins to despair, until Musa scoffs behind her ski mask, and tells her that she and Tecna have got this.

 

Tecna tells them that she downloaded some data about Domino's natural satellites, and several dozen maps of Domino's surface pre-Fall. Using the positions of the various objects in the sky, and the elevation of the sun, combined with the old maps and current topography (which is provided by Musa's sonar ability), Tecna is able to confirm their exact location.

 

Which is several days walk from the Palace. With the biting winds, and the fact that one of them can't fly, the group decides to walk.

 

Half an hour in, they realise they've made a grievous miscalculation in how long it will take them to arrive. Bloom makes a grouchy comment about no longer liking sledding, and the group stops. Together they come up with a way to combine their powers (sans Bloom) and create a solar powered sled which can propel them at pretty decent speeds across the frozen wastes.

* * *

Back on Magix, the Army of Decay has arrived at both Red Fountain, and Alfea.

 

Several hours into the fighting, the first backup ship arrives, a lone transport from Eraklyon, the doors open to reveal Diaspro who tells Sky to come with her, that the King has sent them to bring him home. Brandon tells him to go, but Sky refuses, going so far as to cut the rope that had been thrown for him.

 

Aboard the ship, Diaspro realises Sky is planing to stay, to die fighting. She orders the pilot to go into orbit, when the pilot hesitates, Diaspro throws her weight around, pulling the 'as your future queen, I am ordering you' card.

 

Right before she jumps out of the ship and transforms.

 

Knowing the best thing they can do is return to orbit outside of the reach of the Army of Decay and wait for Diaspro to call them to come pick up the prince, they do as they're told and get out of the way.

 

Diaspro lays down cover fire for various students and teachers, providing aerial assistance, and encasing some of the Army in crystal.

* * *

 

On Domino, the Winx are making excellent progress. Having covered almost 90% of their estimated distance. The girls are just beginning to think they might make it without any problems, when a giant, tusked beast appears from the snow before them, its arrival so sudden the girls don't have time to turn.

 

Their sled upends, spilling them out across the ice and snow. The girls scramble to recover, but the beast attacks quickly. During the fight a loud CRACK snaps through the air, followed by a sharp, startled scream as a crevasse opens beneath Bloom, dropping her down into the frozen darkness. With a yell, the beast slams its fists into the ground and the edges of the crevasse crumble, widening as the upper layers tumble down to wedge themselves firmly between the walls, blocking the way down.

 

Enraged, the remaining Winx cast a wordless spell at the beast, killing it instantly. Stella attempts to dig into the snow and ice, shouting to her friends that they have to save Bloom, Stella can feel her down there, Alive.

 

But injured.

 

The other three manage to snap Stella back to her senses, saying that they can't just dig down willy-nilly, they could collapse something on top of Bloom. As Tecna and Musa carefully examine the ice blockage, Flora comforts Stella. Musa and Tecna are starting to get an idea of how to get down to Bloom when Stella gasps: Bloom is moving. Or at least the Ring of Solaria is, and it's headed towards the palace. Realising what Bloom is doing, the Winx take off at a run, too low on magic after their attack on the beast to transform _and_ hold the spell to keep themselves warm.

* * *

Back in Magix, at Cloud Tower watching through the viewing eye, the Trix laugh, convinced Icy's snow beast has killed Bloom. (Discovering the girl hadn't been in Magix was surprising for them, and a concern, but now nothing could stop them.) In a corner, the Ogre Knut is examining his life choices, and starts to seriously consider switching sides, since he's pretty sure he's going to die anyway.

* * *

At Red Fountain, things have gone 'oh no' to 'oh Fudge'. With Diaspro's air support and Saladin's magic to back up the hero trainees and teachers, the school is surviving rather well, until the clouds above thicken, and lighting begins striking the school. Though shielded, Diaspro takes a direct hit, plummeting dozens of metres to the hard ground.

 

The lightning sparks flames, and the dragons begin rampaging as they escape, Saladin realises they aren't going to save the school _and_ themselves, and orders the students to begin evacuations to Alfea.

 

Deep within the school, in a hidden room more secure than any other in the castle, a pixie engages emergency warding, preparing herself for a fight.

* * *

In Alfea, where the initial attack has been repelled, the fairies in charge of watching for a second wave of attack, witness the evacuation and alert the teachers. Several students are taken from defensive preparation/repair to converting some of the classrooms into emergency dorms for the boys, while those in charge of medical prepare for the new load of patients.

* * *

Far below the icebound surface of Domino, Bloom makes her way through the ice tunnel she's found herself in, amazed she hadn't taken more injuries as she'd hit several ice ledges on the way down. She was also amazed, but mostly thankful, that her clip on flashlight had survived. What feels like hours after her fall, Bloom notices paving beneath the ice, and shadows in the walls.

 

She turns a bend in the tunnel, the stale air making her dizzy, and it takes her a few minutes to realise she's no longer surrounded by ice, but stone walls.

 

It takes her even longer to realise why she's having so much trouble, and she breaks out an air cleansing potion (in aerosol).

 

Taking a few minutes to breathe properly oxygenated air, Bloom examines the area around her, wiping dust and frost from several artefacts before moving on. Bloom calls out to Daphne, but receives no reply, the further she goes, the more Bloom gets the sense that Daphne isn't there.

 

Using a map Faragonda drew from memory, Bloom tries to navigate the palace, looking for areas significant to Daphne.

 

She finds the others, or the others find her, before any of them find any sign of Daphne. The girls tell Bloom how Stella had felt her moving, and how they'd made their way to the Palace, finding only a small section of the Palace above the snowy surface, and having to melt a fairy sized hole in the ice to get inside.

 

Bloom tells the girls about the dire need for air freshener downstairs, and the girls take a moment to appreciate the advice the teachers had given them, which prompted them to bring the aerosol in the first place.

 

In Daphne's bedroom, Bloom finds dozens of pictures of Daphne and her friends, as well as a lot of pictures of Daphne and Pyra. After spending several minutes gazing at a photo of both princesses and their parents, the Winx bemusedly tell Bloom that 'Daphne probably wouldn't mind if you kept it.' An embarrassed Bloom slips the picture into her pack and continues on.

 

A large bookshelf calls to Bloom, not as strongly as the book in Cloud Tower all those weeks ago, but she feels it none the less. The book contains information about ancient sites of worship for various forces throughout the Magical Dimension. Bloom recognises one of the sigils as the same one she saw in the village of the Water Nymphs.

 

Turning a page Bloom realises they came to Domino for basically nothing.

 

The symbol on the next page is the same as the one on the Daphne idol from Bloom's Magic Reality Chamber exam. It's the sign of a temple of the Dragon Flame, an ancient temple found on Magix in what is now Lake Roccaluce.

 

The girls realise the reason Daphne began reaching out to Bloom in her dreams when she came to Alfea, wasn't just because her magic was active, but because Bloom was within range.

 

The girls share a few moments of hysteria, before trying to figure out what to do next. Stella could teleport them back to Magix, but she isn't sure how far the barrier stretches, and is worried she might teleport them into harms way.

 

Bloom reveals Faragonda had marked one more site of interest on the map, and the girls head out. Making their way through the dreary palace hallways until they come to a large open space. The royal hangar, where several ships still sit. Looking around, Tecna points out an obvious problem, the way out is blocked by a _lot_ of ice and snow.

 

Bloom hands Stella back her ring, and the blonde transforms, sending out a beam of light to begin melting their way out.

 

Realising she won't have enough power, Tecna casts a spell to redirect and amplify the heat Stella's letting off, helping to melt the ice faster, and for less energy.

 

Once the way is clear, Bloom makes her way over to _The Sparx_ , a small pleasure cruiser that had once belonged to Daphne. Pressing her hand to the door activation panel, Bloom lets out a sigh of relief when the ship responds, opening the door and sending down a ramp.

 

Inside the ship the girls get themselves situated, poking at a few pieces of clothing that had been left behind over a century and a half ago. Bloom and Tecna take the piloting seats, and as Bloom presses her palm to the genetic locking mechanism, there is a moment of confusion and disbelief when Bloom's print not only unlocks the ship, but registers an authorised identification: Princess Pyra.

 

The girls decide they can wait to figure _that_ out, and Bloom and Tecna work together to fly the ship, setting course for Magix at maximum speed.


	10. Week 09.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episodes 121-126

At Alfea, the boys from Red Fountain have arrived, the teachers begin working together to work the boys who can still fight into the defences Alfea has already set up.

 

In the makeshift infirmary, Sky and Brandon hover over Diaspro as a student tends to her injuries. Sky starts rambling about Diaspro's brashness, and within a few minutes says something that has Diaspro tearing herself away from medical assistance to slap her prince. In the startled silence that follows, Diaspro lays things out for Sky.

 

He is the only child _or_ heir to the King of Eraklyon, if Sky dies fighting on Magix, it will throw their home world into political turmoil, people like Yoshinoya, a warlord who often makes bids for power, could finally tip the world into war as he makes a grab for the throne itself.

 

What Sky had done, choosing to stay and fight at Red Fountain, had not been heroic, it had been selfish and stupid. Sky turns to Brandon, expecting back up, but the brunette is with Diaspro on this. Sky's safety has always been Brandon's top priority, and he'd almost gotten seriously injured trying to ensure Sky was safe, rather than simply fighting off the monsters and worrying about his own safety during the attack.

 

Sky deflates, torn between his innate need to fight against evil, and his duty to Eraklyon's future.

 

A messenger arrives before anything else can happen, asking for Brandon and Sky to join the headmasters. Suspicious, Diaspro invites herself along.

 

The staff have realised, thanks to Icy's taunts via the inter-school communication she had temporarily allowed back up, that Griffin and the students of Cloud Tower have been imprisoned in their own school. Faragonda and Saladin have decided to send a small team to rescue the Cloud Tower staff and students.

 

Sky, Brandon and Timmy are one of the best teams Red Fountain has, even though they're only second years. They're also one of the few teams still in a field ready state, so they've been chosen for the operation. (Riven changed teams some weeks ago, after the Day of the Rose.) Mirta is assigned to guide the boys through Cloud Tower while the Trix are distracted with the assault on Alfea.

 

Diaspro rejects the idea immediately, determined to keep Sky away from the source of badness, but Sky manages to make a damn good argument as to why he should go ('the closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm' style) and Diaspro relents, on the condition that she goes along as well to keep him safe.

 

Sky tries to argue that Diaspro shouldn't go for much the same reasons that she thinks he shouldn't go. Diaspro shuts him down with the logic that _her_ parents can have another child, Sky can find another future-wife, and if Diaspro dies, it will be doing her duty to the Crown.

 

Sky is shaken by Diaspro's conviction, and tells her that he will be extra careful so she won't have to die for him, then corrects himself, so that neither she nor Brandon will have to pay for his mistakes.

 

Timmy breaks the heavy atmosphere saying 'yeah, cause I was just going to leave you to die,' in the most sarcastic voice he can manage. (which is pretty damn sarcastic.)

 

The group of five get ready for the jail break and head out into the tunnels.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Light years away, Stella finds herself thinking of Brandon, and hoping he's okay.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Above Magix several ships arrive in response to the cut off distress signal. The Eraklyon craft manages to contact them and relay everything they know, including the fall of Red Fountain and the exodus to Alfea, which they saw from orbit thanks to their ships high-res long-distance viewers.

 

They also tell the new arrivals that Alfea seems to be fine for the time being, but the city of Magix is under attack, and not doing so well. Making the hard choice, the new arrivals head towards Magix, trusting the fairies of Alfea to be able to handle themselves until more help can arrive.

 

Magix is devastated, the city's populace running scared, though the attack on it was carried out by far fewer Soldiers of Decay than the attacks on the schools. The surviving members of Magix' security forces are doing the best they can, but they weren't trained for this, they were trained as civil police and security guards for the most part. The few fairies and witches who live in Magix are being beaten back, unable to defend the sheer numbers of civilians who _can't_ fight back, and gain ground at the same time.

 

The rescue teams manage to help gain a little bit of ground, but knowing a futile fight when they see one, the joint forces focus more on evacuating everyone they possibly can, and trying to find survivors amidst to destruction.

 

* * *

 

 

In the dungeons beneath Cloud Tower, Riven sits alone in a cell. Something in the darkness stirs, and he pulls himself to his feet as Darcy steps out of the shadows. ('Darcy, please...'/'I'm... I... this is taking longer than we thought, those pitiful fairies and their pathetic heroes are putting up more of a fight than we expected.'/'Darcy, please, let me go.'/'NO!'/'Darcy, you know Icy will kill me the first chance she gets, does she even know I'm down here?'/'...no, but if you just wait! If you just stay here until we've finished taking over Magix, I'm sure I can talk to her, make her see that you're worth keeping around.'/'You know she won't, Darcy, you can stop this, and we can be together-'/'NO! I... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but you know, you have to know, we've spent too long, come too far, I can't give this up, not even for you.'/'Then kill me like she wants, or let me go so I can die on my own terms.'/'I can't, I won't.')

 

As Darcy begins to cry, Riven whispers an earnest I love you into her ear, private and just for them. Darcy holds him tightly before melting back into the shadows, leaving Riven behind, with only a pair of bobby pins to remember her by.

 

(Riven remembers Darcy, taking off her helmet the day of the Rose, dancing with him at the Rose Ball, several dates, stolen kisses in the dark, sharing secrets with each other of always feeling second best, the understanding that seemed to come so easily to between them. Being called to Cloud Tower to find her in the head mistress's office, she and her sisters ruling the school. Watching the Army of Darkness spawn, and realising with absolute certainty that everything was going horribly, apocalyptically wrong as Icy told Darcy to 'get rid of him.')

 

Bending the hair pins, Riven picks the lock to his cell door and escapes the prison.

 

Down the hallway and around a few corners, he finds the headmistress, the other teachers and the students. He tells Griffin he's going to get them out, but she cuts him off, explaining the witches are guarded by more than physical locks, though the students managed to empty their pockets and find enough in them to begin crafting a potion to deal with the magical wards just long enough for the teachers to break them.

 

Griffin warns Riven that there are patrols set up to sweep the witches' corridor every so often, and that he needs to hide until the witches can free themselves, or he risks alerting the Trix to the escape plan.

 

Semi-reluctantly, Riven agrees, and asks if there's anything he can do in the mean time, Griffin and the teachers send him of to grab some supplies that they'll need, specifically as many Travelling Cloaks as he can move to a certain room.

 

Travelling Cloaks are mystically imbued to allow the witches to teleport through anti-teleportation spells, so they can go to Alfea as soon as they escape. (The Cloud Tower prisoners have already realised they can't fight the Trix on their own.)

 

Riven manages to get several loads from the store room to a room that's actually on the way from the cells to the teleportation platform (not nearly enough for everyone left in the prisons), when he hears something out of the ordinary. He goes to check on it, to make sure it's not a trap set by the Trix, or even just a new patrol group.

 

It's his former team mates and a pair of girls he doesn't recognise. When they spot him, they assume he's working with the Trix, he manages to pin Sky to the ground and explain that he's working for Ms. Griffin before things can escalate too far.

 

The group don't believe him initially, even when he lets Sky go as a show of good faith. Sky accuses Riven of working with the Trix because he resents everyone at Red Fountain. Riven snaps, and explains that he doesn't resent _everyone_ at Red Fountain, just Sky and Brandon. Mostly Sky, even for the short time he thought Sky was the squire.

 

Riven explains that his family was poor, that he'd had to work hard at school and at a job he was too young to legally have, just so he could lessen the burden on his family, and get a scholarship to Red Fountain. Riven has trained harder than Sky ever has, he's better than Sky at most of their classes, and yet Sky is the leader, Sky has always looked down on Riven and treated him as worth less than him.

 

Even if Sky is a prince – and of course he is, because the blond boy is just _so_ perfect, it's only natural he's a prince as well – his attitude is elitist bullshit, and Riven knows the only way to deal with an ass-hole, is to be an ass-hole right back.

 

And Brandon was always on Sky's side, just as entitled, because neither of them had to work to get into Red Fountain, the King of Eraklyon handed over some money and they were in, no questions about abilities needed.

 

Riven admits that he didn't dislike Timmy, he was usually just collateral damage in Riven and Sky's grudge. And also Riven has just kind of become an actual ass-hole and he doesn't really like that about himself, and he's not going to apologise for a problem that wasn't _just_ **his** fault, but if Sky wants to work it out, they can sit down for a chat.

 

But that will have to wait until after Riven finishes ensuring the Witches can escape Cloud Tower, not _just_ the cells.

 

Sky looks annoyed, but also realises Riven is right, his is part of the bad vibes between them, but saving the witches is priority. He does want to know whether Riven really knew _Sky_ was actually Sky before his dad told everyone at Red Fountain. Riven spares him a flat look and informs the boys that they are not subtle, and probably should have failed every covert ops exam they'd ever taken, before walking away.

 

Between Riven and the Rescue Team, they manage to get more than enough Cloaks to the half way room. They sneak back into the dungeon level to check on the witches' progress.

 

The potion is finally ready, and with a little magical assistance from the outside (in the form of Mirta and Diaspro) the witches manage to free themselves from the cells. Mirta and Lucy have an awkward reunion.

 

A newly freed Griffin summons a sword for Riven, since they'll have to be quick to the Teleportation platform, the group can dispense with stealth, as the Trix are likely to realise their locking wards are broken very shortly.

 

As the escapees make their way through Cloud Tower, they are waylaid by several monsters, but with teamwork and weapons, they manage to make it to the Travelling Cloaks and to the Platform without losing anyone else.

 

At the Platform they are met by the Trix. Already knowing the odds, the group chooses not to fight, instead they summon a barrier to keep the Trix at bay while Griffin and the other teachers craft the teleportation spell.

 

The Trix break the barrier just before the last of the group gets away, Griffin is hit by a bolt of energy as the teleport whisks them from the platform.

 

The Trix are pissed, but decide, since everyone is in one place, it's time for a final wave of destruction, as they begin to gather their forces, Stormy notices a ship flying low over lake Roccaluce, and asks if they should destroy it.

 

Icy tells her to leave it, if people want to come to die, they they can come to die. Then she turns to Darcy, and asks if she was imagining things, or was that Darcy's little boy-toy she'd seen with Griffin. Darcy admits nonchalantly that she'd put him in the dungeon, so she could have some fun later, but if he wanted to die with the rest of the pathetic mortals, well...

 

Icy is upset Darcy hadn't killed him straight away, but has more important things to do than berate her sister.

 

* * *

 

 

In Magix, everyone begins celebrating when the Army begins to retreat, but they don't let themselves relax, focusing on evacuations and recovery while they have the chance.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

By Lake Roccaluce, _The Sparx_ lands just long enough to let Bloom off, the rest of the Winx go to help Alfea.

 

Wading into the water, Bloom calls out to Daphne, trying to reach out with the dregs of Stella's donated magic. From beneath the waters, Daphne emerges, translucent and ethereal. She greets Bloom as 'Pyra, my little sister,' and when Bloom asks how she could possibly _be_ Pyra, Daphne admits that she doesn't know. She sent her infant sister through a portal to a former Fairy-Godmother for safe keeping until the siege was over, but things didn't turn out that way.

 

Daphne explains that she had thought her sister dead until she felt her presence in Magix several weeks ago, she'd been trying to reach her ever since, but Daphne was (and is) trapped in an instant between life and death, stuck between two plains of existence.

 

When Bloom asks if there's anyway to help Daphne, the older princess shakes her head. To leave her ghostly state would mean instant death, and she's not ready to move on until she's told Pyra everything she wants to know about their parents and their planet and their powers.

 

Bloom finally asks why Daphne keeps calling her Pyra, now they're speaking in person, rather than calling her Bloom like she'd been doing in Bloom's dreams. Daphne responds with curiosity, telling her sister that Bloom was a lovely name, but Daphne hadn't been calling her by name, she'd been calling for her sister, soul-to-soul, using the emotional and familial essence to direct her calls, Bloom's mind had simply translated the non-verbal identification as the name _she_ identified herself by.

 

Bloom is slightly overwhelmed by the information, and it's implications, but pushes it all aside to ask Daphne if she knows what's going on outside the lake. Daphne confirms she knows Bloom was no longer carrying the Dragon's Fire, and that a flame of the Fire was being used to power a malignant spell.

 

Bloom admits to the events of the past several days, asking Daphne if she knew how to draw the Dragon Fire back into Bloom. Daphne explains that the Trix don't have the Dragon's Fire, they have only the Flame which was contained within Bloom at the time.

 

Bloom is a Vessel which allows the power of the Dragon to interact with the Magical Dimension's plane of existence, she is a conduit for it, but she does not contain the source. The stolen flame can be tempted back to Bloom, if Bloom can become 'safe' again. In order to do that, she needs to release her own powers, and Manifest using her own magic, rather than the Dragon Fire like she's been doing.

 

When Bloom asks what she means, Daphne explains that she can sense the remnants of power in Bloom's body, like an echo or an after image, she tells her sister that she can see the Dragon Fire in Bloom's body was awoken by _something_ several weeks ago, and had risen up to Manifest in the absence of Bloom's own powers, which were suspiciously dampened. (even more so than they should have been given the circumstances of Bloom's Transference.)

 

Together, Bloom and Daphne manage to reach Bloom's true power, the power of fire, and bring it to the surface. As Bloom prepares for her first Manifestation under her own magic, she asks if her being a Fire Fairy had anything to do with the Dragon Fire. Daphne confirms that the reason Vessels were always Fire Fairies was because they could handle the _pure_ Dragon's Fire in a way no other magical user could. (something to do with the origin of the Vessels.)

 

Anyone else risked burning their own magical core to ash, and destroying their own powers. Assuming they could use the Flame with any level of proficiency.

 

As Bloom Manifests for the first time, Daphne feels the familiar brush of Solar Flame, and whispers 'Nova,' when re-winged Bloom asks what she's talking about, Daphne tells her she'll explain later and to 'go save the world little sister. Just remember, you are the true home of the Flame, it just has to know you're waiting for it.'

 

 

* * *

 

 

As Tecna lands _The Sparx_ at Alfea, the Winx are startled to see the changes that have been made in their absence. Wading through the sea of bodies, the girls go to find Ms Faragonda and tell her what they've discovered, and where Bloom has gone. In the centre of the courtyard, a large group in cloaks is milling around, designated medics working on one of the new comers. As one of the cloaked individuals turns and pulls down their hood, Stella stops.

 

It's Brandon, looking tired and worn and alive. The others notice what's stopped Stella, and they see Faragonda making her way to the downed woman in the cloak, the Winx realise it's Ms Griffin. The group redirects to meet up with the headmistress, and Flora tells Stella to go speak to Brandon, they can handle things with Faragonda.

 

Stella and Brandon spend a few moments hugging and crying and making it very clear that they both want to be together regardless of their stations, and the whole 'fake identity' thing.

 

Meanwhile, Griffin, Faragonda and Saladin begin making plans to merge their powers to hold back the army as long as they can. All of Alfea's Enchantix level students were out of Alfea on work shadowing or experience missions when the barriers went up, not that it makes much difference, according to Faragonda, who reveals that during a brief skirmish before the witches arrived, Faragonda had used her own Fairy Dust against the creatures, to little effect.

 

(Faragonda theorises that since the Army was summoned by the Dragon Fire, and not strictly 'evil' magic, the Fairy Dust is only able to affect the physical form of the creatures a little bit, before the regenerative power of the Flame cancels out the Dust's abilities. Or something like that. Griffin gets in a bit of ribbing about the 'ultimate fairy power' failing at last, at the worst possible time, before the trio get serious again.)

 

The Winx manage to tell Faragonda and co that Bloom _is_ on her way, that they just need to wait, but any further conversation is cut off by the aerial scouts, who have spotted a large wave of shadows spilling across the land, heading straight for Alfea.

 

One of the scouts magnifies their vision and corrects the assessment, the entire Army of Decay is marching towards Alfea, the smaller beetle things that merge to form the individual soldiers are merging and parting in an undulating mass, pouring through the trees like a malevolent molasses of death.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Deep in the forest, a single fairy in green holds a barrier over a miniature village, around her float several dozen pixies, feeding her magic and crafting their own, all of them wearing down as darkness and rot slides over the barrier. Thankfully, the darkness passes, paying them little heed, clearly intent on another target, and those inside the failing barrier remain unharmed.

 

Watching from their hidden bubbles, the undine tremble, they have never seen such evil, they think briefly of the fairies who helped them weeks ago, and hope they are alright.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Alfea has only a few moments to prepare for the wave, Faragonda talks to all the students and teachers, telling them that she, Griffin and Saladin will be raising a barrier to protect everyone, but it will not last against the full brunt of the Army, they can't guarantee how long it will last, and this might not be what they were all training for, but they were trained to fight evil. They have faith in their students and their staff. They will survive this. Together.

 

The barrier is raised, and seconds later, the Army slams against it. Inside the barrier, the students and teachers wait.

 

After long, long minutes, slowly at first, then faster, small beetles begin making it through the barrier. Griselda takes charge, directing students as they fight, and showing exactly why she's in charge of battle training as she takes out several newly form soldiers.

 

But they can't keep it up. Against a normal army, the three schools co-operating like this would have assured a swift victory. The Army of Decay is _not_ a normal army, near infinite regenerating soldiers who don't tire, it's a war of endurance, slowly whittling the schools down.

 

In the fray, Paladium is injured, several students are almost killed, and three fairies earn their Enchantix, but their powers only prolong the fight, the don't end it.

 

Mirta, who's lost sight of Lucy in the battle, takes a few precious seconds to stop, focus inwards and breathe, tapping into her powers in a way she never has before. In a flash of light she Manifests for the first time, the swell of power washing through her is almost intoxicating, but she has a job to do, and no more time to waste. She pulls upon the fear of the fairies and witches and heroes, and creates her own army, illusions made real.

 

They help, but only for a while, even with her newfound strength, the Army of Decay manages to wear her down.

 

Mirta startles when she feels an arm around her waist, but recognises one of the girls who'd been with Bloom (Flora, Mirta thought her name was.) Mirta is surprised to find she been floating (or maybe flying) as she'd directed her illusion army, and Flora tells her that she'd begun falling, but not to worry, Stella had said Bloom was on her way, and travelling fast enough to be flying. (It takes Mirta a long time to realise her Manifest Form includes _wings_.)

 

Bloom announces her arrival a few minutes later with a large firestorm, calling the Trix out. The Trix, who'd been watching from thrones just across the treeline from the school-turn-battleground, laugh at Bloom's bravado, but something in their faces is worried.

 

They attack quickly, with intent to kill, they realise Bloom is transformed, which shouldn't be possible, and that she may know how to take the Dragon Fire back. Bloom manages to handle herself well, for about a minute, until she's blindsided by Icy and slammed out of the air.

 

Bloom hits the barrier just before it shatters completely, and the ground straight after. Scrabbling to move, a winded Bloom tries to rise, but a soldier presses its foot into her back, claw-tips dangerously close to her wings. As the Trix fend of any attempts to help, Kiko makes his way through the Army, dodging attacks and weaving through legs. The soldier presses down on Bloom even harder, and she thinks she hears one of her ribs (bruised from the fall on Domino) crack, but she hasn't got the breath to scream.

 

Kiko tries to free her from the soldier, but it's no good. While she's being crushed, Bloom tries to apologise to her rabbit, because she tried to draw back the Dragon Fire, but it hadn't responded. She'd failed, and soon everyone, even Kiko (who should have been safe back on Earth) will...

 

Kiko wails and snuggles close to Bloom's face, placing his paws delicately on her cheeks like he wants to tell her something important. Kiko's fur is warm, warmer than Bloom remembers.

 

Icy makes a disparaging comment on how pathetic Kiko is, trying to comfort Bloom while she dies.

 

Bloom feels like she's about to pass out, and as a result, is certain it's a trick of her eyes (vision dimming) that makes it look like Kiko's fur is changing colour, like there's a light fading from his eyes, until he falls over and scampers away in fear.

 

Icy laughs again, taunting Bloom that even her dumb bunny had left her to die alone.

 

But Bloom isn't dying, she twists her arm around at a painful angle to grab the soldier's twiggy ankle area. Bloom can feel it, every twist of every ember of Flame.

 

She pulls it from the soldier at her back and pushes herself up, settling back on her ankles and dragging in lungfuls of air. Icy pales as she watches.

 

(“Hey Icy?”/ “Wha-what?!”/ “DUES! EX! MACHINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”)

 

Bloom _roars_ , her body glowing from within, for a moment as her hair whips around wildly, it's like it's made of flames. From every beetle in every soldier, and from the Trix themselves, swirling flames are pulled, drawn forth and into Bloom, whose eyes have taken on an inhuman glow, and a reptilian countenance.

 

When the storm of flames dies down, the Army is gone, and the Trix are on the ground. They try to stand, to attack, but their magic is sluggish, hard to direct.

 

Bloom smirks, “what's the matter Icy, feeling a little... burnt-out?” and begins shivering as the Trix are dealt with. (Riven puts the magic dampening cuffs on Darcy himself, who gives him a look of such betrayal before she slaps him, scratching his face with her nails.)

 

 

* * *

 

 

In the aftermath, the Winx find each other and cling tightly to one another. Mirta finds Lucy, and Riven and Sky sit down for a talk while the medical teams do what they can.

 

Diaspro helps contact the teams in orbit and in Magix, letting them know the fight was over, the perpetrators in custody, and setting up relief with the various parties. (She and Sky will talk later, they will agree to postpone their engagement pending a re-evaluation of their relationship, though Diaspro warns she will not give up on him, on 'them'.)

 

In the forest, a fairy in green and a group of Pixies laugh as they lay, worn and relieved on the soft grass.

 

Far below everything, deep in an ancient cavern, an old seal breaks, and a shadow pours forth with a deep and terrible laughter of its own.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

In Alfea, one of the students finds Kiko hiding in a small gap in some rubble, and they return him to Bloom. The Winx make a fuss, trying to figure out why the formally blue rabbit is now a dull grey. Bloom smiles knowingly and rubs a hand down his quivering back, letting the smallest spark of the Dragon Fire slip _back_ into her rabbit. His fur flushes with a brilliant blue, and the light of intelligence returns to his eyes, he turns to Bloom and recognises her, snuggling into her with joy.

 

As the three head teachers wander over looking for answers, Bloom explains: Kiko had saved everyone. It had happened so slowly Bloom herself had never noticed, but her bunny was far to old to be alive, for a normal rabbit at least, and the blue of his fur was unnatural on Earth.

 

Part of her, the part that had always been drawn to fairy tales, had refused to accept a world where she would eventually lose Kiko, and subconsciously, she'd placed the _teeniest, tiniest_ ember of Flame inside him.

 

He'd given it back to her as she lay beneath the soldier's foot, probably knowing what it would do to him, he had given it all back to Bloom, so she could become the Vessel of the Dragon Fire again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Afterwards, they don't hold a party, everyone is too tired, and there are faces missing, some which won't be coming back. Everyone finds someone to cling to as the rubble is cleared away, rooms are straightened and beds are found for those who need them.

 

Plans are made to rebuild.

 

Bloom calls her parents.

 

 

* * *

 

 

In the forest, a fairy in green and half a dozen(ish) pixies are making their way towards Alfea, they need to know what happened, and if any one else is still alive on the planet. From the trees, something darker than shadows swoops down. The fairy is knocked aside as the pixies are scooped up and carried off. The fairy tries to follow, but can't keep up, too exhausted from holding the protective barrier around the pixie village. She carries on, seeking her kidnapped friends by following the connection between herself and her Bonded pixie.


End file.
